Ignition system



. Jan. 1, 1946 A. w. ROBINSON, JR 2,392,192

IGNITION SYSTEM Filed Nov. 26, 1942 l lll lr'wventov I Arthur"- W RobinsomJn,

Himtorneg.

Patented Jan. 1, 1946 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE IGNITION SYSTEM Arthur W. Robinson, Jr., Schenectady, N. L, assignor to General Electric Company, a corporation of New York Application November 26, 1942, Serial No. 467,063

8 Claims.

A further object of my inventiontis to provide an improved electrical ignition system for providing an intermittent or periodically varying relatively high rate of change of output current responsive to a predetermined periodic or intermittent function of the system.

Further objects and advantages of my invention will be better understood from the following description referring to the accompanying drawing, and the features of novelty which characterize my invention will be pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming part of this specification.

The drawing schematically illustrates an ignition system provided with an embodiment of my invention applied to an engine ignition system, although the general arrangement can be used in other ignition systems such as are used for burners.

Referring to the drawing, I have shown as a source of electrical power supplya magneto having a relatively stationary core l and a rotatable inducing magnet mounted on a shaft l2 adapted to be driven at a predetermined desired speed relative to the periodic or intermittent discharges of ignition spark discharge plugs connected to the system. In this type electrical system, the source of electrical power connected to the supply circuit should have a varying characteristic such as a periodically varying alternating or intermittent voltage or current, and in the illustrated system, a periodic or intermittently varying current is induced in a magneto coil l3 by the magnetic variations produced in the core ill by the rotation of the exciting magnet II. The magneto coil i3 is adapted to be short-cit cuited by a circuit breaker including a relatively stationary contact I4 and a movable contactor element i5 connected across the coil l3. The contactor i5 is arranged to be operated in a predetermined relationship relative to the position of the magneto exciting magnet II by an operating cam l6 which is operated at a speed bearing a predetermined relationship to the speed of operation of the magneto exciting magnet H, such that the circuit breaker is opened substantially at the time that the largest current is induced in the coil l3. Two circuits are connected in parallel across the terminals oi the coil l3 and across the circuit breaker contacts I and i5. One of these parallel circuits includes a condenser and the other parallel circuit includes a ma netically saturable reactor |8 connected in series with a rotatable terminal arm IQ of a distributor which is arranged to be operated at a predetermined speed relative to the speed of the engine to contact other terminals 20 of the distributor in a predetermined sequence. Each distributor contact terminal 20 is connected to one terminal of a corresponding spark plug transformer primary Winding 2|, and the other terminal of each of the transformer primary windings 2| is connected to ground 22, to the other side of the condenser il, circuit breaker contactor l5, and magneto coil l3. Each transformer is provided with a secondary winding 23 which is connected across the electrodes 24 of a spark plug 25. The/spark plugs are periodically or intermittently energized at a predetermined periodic or intermittent rate depending on the speed of the engine and the corresponding operation of the magneto magnet H, the cam l6, and the distributor terminal contact arm l9, which are all arranged to operate at a predetermined speed relative to the speed of the engine to which the spark plugs 25 are arranged to provide ignition. Thus, when the current induced in the magneto coil l3 substantially reaches its maximum value, the cam I6 is operated to a position which opens the contacts l4 and I5 of the circuit breaker, thereby impressing the relatively high intermittent or periodic voltage across the above-mentioned parallel circuit. The branch of this parallel circuit including the saturable reactor i8 is adapted to form a complete circuit by operation of the distributor contact arm I9 into electrical contact with a contact terminal 20, but since the saturable reactor offers a relatively high impedance to the flow of electric current therethrough when it is substantially unsaturated, relatively little current passes through thisbranch of the parallel circuit, and a relatively high charge passes into the condenser l'l. As current passes through the saturable reactor |8, it becomes substantially magnetically saturated and offers a relatively low impedance to the passage of current therethrough,

such that the condenser l1 subsequently discharges through the reactor l8 and through a primary winding 2| of one of the spark plug transformers. This provides a periodically varying high output current having a relatively high rate of change to the output circuit which includes the reactor l8, distributor contact arm [9, distributor contact 20, and transformer primary winding 2|, thereby inducing a relatively high voltage in the corresponding transformer secondary winding 23 and across electrodes 24 of a spark discharge device 25 and produces the desired electrical discharge across these electrodes.

While I have illustrated and described a particular embodiment of my invention, modifications thereof will occur to those skilled in the art. I desire it to be understood, therefore, that my invention is not to be limited to the particular arrangement disclosed, and I intend in the ap- I pended claims to cover all modifications which do not depart from the spirit and scope of my invention.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent in the United States is:

1-. An electrical system including a source of electrical power supply, a circuit breaker connected across said source of electrical power supply, means for periodically operating said circuit breaker, an electrical output circuit, means including a condenser connected across said source of electrical power supply and a saturable reactor side of said output circuit, and means including t an intermittent voltage source of electrical power supply applied across said condenser for providing an intermittent high output current to said output circuit responsive to said intermittent voltage and the subsequent intermittent discharges of said condenser through said reactor on substantial magnetic saturation ofsaid reactor.

'3. An ignition system including an output circuit, a condenser, means for connecting one side of said condenser to one side of said output circuit, a saturable reactor connected in series with the other side of said condenser and the other side of said output circuit, and means including an alternating current supply circuit connected across said condenser for providing an alternating high output current to said output circuit responsive to said alternating current and the subsequent discharges of said condenser through said reactor on substantial magnetic saturation of said reactor.

4. An ignition system including an output cir-' cuit, a condenser, means for connecting one side of said condenser to one side of said output circuit, a saturable reactor connected in series with the other side of said condenser and the other side of said output circuit, means including an intermittent voltage source of electrical power supply applied across said condenser for providing an intermittent high output current to said output circuit responsive to said intermittent voltage and the subsequent intermittent discharges of said condenser through said reactor on substantial magnetic saturation of said reactor, an ignition spark discharge device, and means for connecting said spark discharge device to said output circuit.

5. An ignition system including a source of electrical power supply, a circuit breaker connected across said source of electrical power supply, means for periodically operating said circuit breaker, an electrical output circuit, means including a condenser connected across said source of electrical power supply and a saturable reactor connected in series with one side of said condenser and one side of said output circuit for providing a periodically high output current to said output circuit responsive to the periodic operation of said circuit breaker, means for connecting the other side of said output circuit to the other side of said condenser, an ignition spark discharge device, and means for connecting said spark discharge device to said output circuit.

6. An ignition system including a source of electrical power supply, a circuit breaker connected across said source of electrical power supply, means. for periodically operating said circuit breaker, a transformer having a primary winding and a secondary winding, means for connectin one terminal of said transformer primary winding to one side of said source of electrical power supply, and means including a condenser connected across said source of electrical power supply and a saturable reactor connected inseries to the other terminal of said transformer primary winding and the other side of said source of electrical power supply for providing a periodically high output current through said transformer primary winding responsive to the periodic operation of said circuit breaker and the subsequent periodic discharge of said condenser through said reactor on substantial magnetic saturation of said reactor.

7. An ignition system including a source of electrical power supply, a circuit breaker connected across said source of electrical power supply, means for periodicall operatin said circuit breaker, an ignition circuit distributor, a transformer having a primary winding and a secondary winding, means for connecting said distributor in series with one terminal of said transformer primary winding, means for connecting the other terminal of said transformer primary winding to one side of said source of electrical power supply, and means including a condenser connected across said source of electrical power supply and a saturable reactor connected in series to the other side of said distributor and the other side of said source of electrical power supply for providing a periodically high output current through said transformer primary winding responsive to the periodic operation of said circuit breaker and the periodic discharge of said condenser through said reactor on substantial magnetic saturation of said reactor.

8. An ignition system including a magneto providing a source of electrical power supply, a cir cuit breaker connected across said source of electrical power supply, means for periodically operating said circuit breaker, a transformer having a primary winding and a secondary winding, means for connecting one terminal of said transformer primary winding to one side of said source of electrical power supply, means. including a condenser connected across said source of electrical power supply and a saturable reactor connected in series to the other terminal of said transformer primary winding and the other side of said source of electrical power supply for providing a periodically high output current through said transformer primary Winding responsive to the periodic operation of said circuit breaker and the subsequent periodic discharge of said condenser through said reactor on substantial magnetic saturation of said reactor, an ignition spark discharge device, and means for connecting said spark discharge device to said transformer secondary winding.

ARTHUR W. ROBINSON, JR. 

